Ripping Wings Off Butterflies
by ChildlikeEmpress
Summary: How did Lukia Cromwell really feel about Cain's Proposal? A oneshot alternate ending to the conclusion of Butterfly Bone.


_Ripping Wings Off Butterflies_

_By ChildlikeEmpress_

Lukia Cromwell sat quietly next to her father during the grave side service.

Emile, her little brother was dead.

It all seemed such a blur, after Lord Cain had proven that Emile was her step-mother's killer, by holding up the remains of Emile's glove. And the horror she had felt, when she found out what had driven her mother to jump out the hospital window.

And the comb...the one she had given Emile when they first met.

He still kept it, clutched in his hand, as she watched him fall off the roof.

He still held it now.

In his casket.

Cain Hargreaves looked over the proceedings from afar. He, Riff and Merriwether all stood apart from the mourners. Cain was still reeling from last nights events.

Not only had he failed to save Lukia's younger brother, but he had heard him.

Alexis.

"The funeral must be over." Riff remarked quietly to his master.

Cain looked up, surprised that he had let himself drift like that.

He then noticed Lukia walking towards him, her black mourning veil reaching her knees. She was wearing a black kimono and carried something in her hand.

"Lord Cain, if I could have a brief word..."

Cain looked at Lukia, trying to see her facial expression but it was impossible through the veil.

"Of course, Riff, take Merriwether to the carriage."

"Yes sir, come Merry."

Cain watched as Merry and Riff made their way towards the carriage. They had planned on leaving directly after the funeral.

Cain then turned towards Lukia, who motioned for him to follow her aways away from the other mourners.

'Well,' Cain thought to himself, 'Whatever she wants to say she wants to say alone.'

They paused at a stone bench next to a rose garden. Lukia motioned for him to sit down.

Lukia took a breath, but before she could begin speaking, she was stopped by the tug she felt.

Cain had taken her veil and was lifting it up, now able to see her face clearly, Cain could see that Lukia's eyes were red, and she looked unusually pale.

"Forgive me, but I find it hard to converse with someone when their face is swathed in yards of fabric."

Lukia frowned lightly.

"Lord Cain, you forget yourself. But that isn't what I wished to speak to you about."

She paused, almost fearfully, but then continued on. "When you told my father, that you wished to take me with you to London, as well, either your wife or your, your mistress…you didn't really mean what you said did you?"

'Oh dear...' Cain thought, 'I had forgotten about that…'

But out loud he said, "Of course it was a mere bluff my Dear Lukia, I knew a proposal of some sort was the only way to draw out the killer."

He chuckled. "Don't tell me you seriously considered it?"

'Yes, yes I had.' Lukia cried inwardly. But none of her pain showed on her face.

"No, Lord Cain. Finding out that my assumptions as to whether you were serious or not were correct has relieved me greatly. Despite the fact that you probably have women falling all over you, I wouldn't fall that easily."

Cain almost flinched at the coldness that now permeated her words. His bravado almost failing him as he stared into her slightly slanted eyes, eyes that had once regarded him with warmth and kindness, now regarded him with icy hostility.

"I also wish to thank you for helping Emile…it lessens my grief slightly to know that he was truly a kind boy, who only wished to protect those he loved."

Cain couldn't help but disagree with this, he hadn't helped Emile at all. He had failed. His words didn't save the boy from the Labyrinth that Cain himself had barely escaped.

'Helped? Oh yes, I helped him make the decision to kill himself, if anything.'

Lukia rose suddenly, startling Cain from his thoughts.

Lukia knew she had to finish quickly, before she lost her will, or worse yet broke down crying in front of him.

"Here...I want you to have this. Don't ask me why...it was the match to the one Emile had.."

She held out her hand and in it Cain saw what she had been clutching throughout the conversation. A hair comb with a butterfly on the end, identical, to the one he had handed Emile before he died.

"I can't take this."

"Yes you can!"

Lukia forcefully closed his fingers over the comb. And turned, lowering her veil so that he wouldn't see the few tears that were escaping.

"Travel safely milord."

And with that, Lukia walked away leaving the Count holding a butterfly comb.

Later on their way home Merriwether approached the topic and asked Cain about his conversation with Miss Cromwell.

"What did she have to say brother?"

"She wished to make clear that my proposal to her was but a ruse, to thank me for helping with the case, and to give me this."

Cain opened his palm to show the comb.

"Oh" Merriwether replied, already disinterested. "I thought she was going to tell you that she had agreed to it."

"Agreed to what?" Cain said startled.

"To your proposal you ninny! Sometimes brother, I think you aren't very smart when it comes to women. She had been mooning over you constantly after you spoke to her father, and she even told me that she would even lower herself to be your mistress if that was what you wished."

Cain still looked at the carriage occupants with an incredulous expression written all over his face.

"Surely, you noticed sir..." Riff was afraid to go on..

"Not you too Riff! What? What did you notice?"

Riff sighed. "That she might have loved you sir."

Cain looked out the window, realization dawning on his face as he recalled Lukia's sudden iciness during their conversation.

"No... I didn't notice..."

Meanwhile, miles away at the Butterfly mansion, a maid coming home from the market was witness to the birth of another butterfly.

As she watched Lukia jump out her bedroom window.

Fin


End file.
